Pipe transporting pallet for fork lift trucks



March 29, 1966 p m ms 3,242,883

PIPE TRANSPORTING PALLET FO R FORK LIFT TRUCKS Filed Feb. 26, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.2

George Aron/s l0 ,2 IN VENTOR.

M4016?- BY WWW 2m G. ARONIS March 29, 1966 PIPE TRANSPORTING PALLET FOR FORK LIFT TRUCKS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 26, 1965 .nbm I A m E 7 A a, w. r n w WW 6 Y B i w Mm United States Patent 3,242,ss3 PIPE TRANSPORTING PALLET FOR FORK LIFT TRUCKS George Aronis, 770 Locust St., Fall River, Mass. Filed Feb. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 435,413 3 Claims. (Cl. 10852) This invention relates to a novel and useful pipe transporting pallet and more specifically to a pallet designed primarily to greatly facilitate the handling of long lengths of pipe or other elongated members by fork lift trucks.

When a fork lift truck is utilized to move long lengths of piping, rods or other types of conduit members, the fork lift truck is advanced forwardly toward a stack of elongated sections extending at generally right angles to the direction of forward movement of the fork lift truck. The arms of the truck are then slide under the stack of elongated members and lifted so as to lift the stack. Thereafter, the fork lift truck may be driven to a different location for the purpose of unloading the elongated members. However, inasmuch as the elongated members supported by the fork lift truck extend transversely of the latter, the truck cannot be moved through any opening which is narrower than the length of the longest elongated member supported by the fork lift truck. Therefore, movement of pipe sections in this manner through a doorway is impossible and the existence of posts and/ or pillars in a relatively open warehouse or the like also greatly inhibits the handling of elongated pipe sections or the like by means of a fork lift truck in a conventional manner.

It is the main object of this invention to provide a pipe transporting pallet adapted for use with a fork lift truck with the pallet being of the type including a base having opposite ends and sides and also means defining a pair of transversely spaced and aligned upwardly opening cradle means at each end of the base and with the pairs of cradle means being spaced longitudinally of the base a distance sufficient to enable a fork lift truck to be received between stacked pipe sections supported from the pairs of cradle means with the pipe sections closely embracing the opposite sides and extending longitudinally of the fork lift truck. In this manner, the fork lift truck carrying the pallet loaded with long sections of pipe or the like may readily move through a narrow doorway or opening which is only a little wider than the fork lift truck itself.

Another object of this invention is to provide a pipe transporting pallet including means by which a stack or pile of elongated pipe sections supported by a fork lift truck and being initially placed on the pallet may be horizontally compacted as the pipe sections supported by the arms of the fork lift truck are moved into position over the pallet prior to being lowered onto the pallet.

A final object of this invention is to provide a pipe transporting pallet for use with a fork lift truck and in accordance with the preceding objects which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relatively troublefree in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the pipe transporting pallet of the instant invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane indicated by the section line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

3,242,883 Patented Mar. 29, 1966 FIGURE 3 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane indicated by the section line 33 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the pallet showing its position relative to a fork lift truck support ing elongated pipe sections prior to movement of the fork lift truck toward the pallet and the placement of the pipe sections on the pallet;

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 4 of the drawings with the position of the fork lift truck advanced toward the pallet in relation to its position in FIGURE 4 of the drawings and positioned in readiness to lower the pipe sections onto the pallet, and additional position of the fork lift truck prior to loading of the other end of the pallet being shown in phantom lines;

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the pallet in a loaded condition and shown supported from a fork lift truck and being moved through a narrow doorway; and

FIGURE 7 is a side elevational view of a fork lift truck shown supporting a loaded pallet of the instant invention.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the pipe transporting pallet of the instant invention. The pallet 10 includes a base frame generally referred to by the reference nu meral 12 having a pair of opposite side longitudinal frame members 14 interconnected by opposite end transverse frame members 16 and a pair of intermediate transverse frame members 18 are utilized to interconnect the opposite side frame members 14 at spaced points intermediate the opposite ends.

A supporting deck or floor 20 is secured over the transverse frame members 16 and 18 and each end of the pallet 10 includes a pair of transversely spaced and aligned upwardly opening cradle means generally referred to by the reference numerals 22.

Each of the cradle means includes an outer short upright 24 secured to the corresponding corner of the pallet 10 and an inner long upright 26 spaced longitudinally of the pallet 10 toward the remote end thereof. A generally horizontally disposed brace 28 is interconnected between the lower ends of each pair of uprights 24 and 26 a spaced distance above the deck or flooring 20 and a pair of upper and lower longitudinally extending braces '30 and 32 are secured between each pair of inner uprights 26. The upper braces 30 are connected between the upper terminal end portions of the long uprights and the lower braces 32 are connected between the corresponding long uprights 26 at a distance spaced above the flooring or deck 20 so that the lower braces 32 are substantially horizontally aligned with the braces 28.

Each of the longitudinal opposite side braces 14 is generally L-shaped in cross section and the transverse braces 18 as well as the uprights 24 and 26 and the horizontal braces 30 and 32 are channel-shaped in cross section. The horizontal braces 28 are L-shaped in cross section and may be formed of the same material from which the longitudinal members 14 are formed.

In FIGURES 4, 5 and 7 there may be seen a conventional form of fork lift truck generally referred to by the reference numeral 36 including a pair of generally parallel, longitudinal extending and vertically movable arms When it is desired to transport a plurality of pipe sections through a narrow doorway such as that illustrated in FIGURE 6 of the drawings and generally indicated by the reference numeral 39, the pallet 10 may be loaded with pipe sections by utilizing the fork lift truck 36 to pick up a conventional pallet 40 having a plurality of pipe sections 42 disposed thereon. The fork lift truck 36 is then moved forwardly as viewed in phantom lines in FIGURE of the drawings with the pipe sections 42 supported from the pallet 40 extending transversely of the truck 36. As the truck advances toward the pallet 10, the arms 38 thereof are lifted so that the pallet 40 and pipe sections 42 will be disposed slightly above the upper ends of the short uprights 24. Then, the fork lift truck 36 is stopped after the pipe sections 42 engage the abutment faces 46 of the corresponding inner uprights 26. The engagement of the pipe sections 42 with the abutment faces 46 acts to tightly stack the pipe sections 42 between the surfaces 46 and the confronting surfaces 48 of the upstanding guides of the fork lift truck 36. Then, the arms 38 may be lowered so as to lower the stacked pipe sections 42 between the corresponding pairs of uprights 24 and 26 so that the pipe sections 42 rest on the horizontal braces 28 at the corresponding end of the pallet and between the uprights 24 and 26. The braces 28 are spaced a distance above the flooring 20, a distance suificient to enable the pallet 40 and the arms 38 to be lowered downwardly therefrom in order to completely transfer the weight of the pipe sections 42 to the brace members 28. Then, the fork lift truck 36 is reversed so as to withdraw the pallet 40 and the arms 38 from under the stack of pipe sections 42. Thereafter, the opposite end of the pallet 10 may be loaded in a similar manner. After the pallet 10 has been completely loaded, the fork lift truck 36 is then advanced in a forward direction toward one side of the pallet 10 in a manner such that the arms 38 thereof will be received between the flooring and the longitudinal frame members 14 between the transverse frame members 18. Thereafter, the arms 38 may be raised in order to lift the pallet.

In this manner, the pallet may be transported as shown in FIGURE 6 of the drawings with the stacks of pipe sections 42 closely embracing the opposite sides of the fork lift truck 36 in order that the truck and the pallet 10 with the pipe sections 42 disposed thereon may be moved through the narrow doorway or opening 40.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A pipe transporting pallet for use with fork lift trucks, said pallet including a base having opposite ends and sides and also means defining a pair of opposite sides, transversely spaced, and transversely aligned upwardly opening cradle means at each end of said base, said cradle means each defining a pair of longitudinally spaced low outer and higher inner upstanding confronting confining surface means spaced longitudinally of said base, each of said cradle means also including an upwardly facing support surface extending between the lower end portions of each pair of low and higher opposing surfaces, and spaced above said base, the upper ends of said higher inner surface means projecting above the upper ends of the corresponding outer surface means and defining abutment means against which a plurality of pipe sections may be laterally horizontally advanced over the upper ends of said outer surface means to stack said pipe sections before lowering the stack of pipe sections into the corresponding cradle means and onto the corresponding support surfaces, the longitudinal extent of said base disposed between the cradle means on each side of said base being sufiicient to receive the lifting arms of a fork lift truck between the cradle means on each side of said base and to position stacks of pipe sections supported from said pairs of cradle means outwardly of the opposite sides of said truck when the latter is advanced toward the corresponding side of said base with said pipe sections closely embracing the opposite sides of said fork lift truck, and the spacing between the opposite side cradle means at each end of said base being sufiicient to receive therebetween the lifting arms of a fork lift truck advanced toward the corresponding end of said base.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said base comprises a panel-like member, said cradle means each comprising a pair of uprights secured to said panel-like member and spaced longitudinally of said base and substantially transversely aligned with the corresponding uprights of the other corresponding cradle means, said support surfaces each comprising the upper surface of a pipe support and brace interconnected between the uprights of each pair of uprights and spaced above said panel-like members so as to define a space betweeen pipe sections supported from said cradle means and said panel-like member adapted to horizontally receive the lifting forks of a fork lift truck therein, said opposing surfaces of each of said cradle means comprising the opposing surfaces of each pair of low and higher uprights.

3. The combination of claim 1 including horizontal brace members extending between and interconnecting the upper end portions of the inner uprights at each side of said base.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,678,787 5/1954 Averill 10853 2,705,604 4/1955 Averill 108-53 2,903,217 9/1959 Collins et al. 10854 2,924,340 2/1960 Barto 108-53 2,935,283 5/1960 Berry 10853 3,043,452 7/1962 Spillios 108-53 X 3,157,424 11/1964 Hall 108-53 X CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner. FRANK B. SHERRY, Examiner.

G. O. FINCH, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PIPE TRANSPORTING PALLET FOR USE WITH FORK LIFT TRUCKS, SAID PALLET INCLUDING A BASE HAVING OPPOSITE ENDS AND SIDES AND ALSO MEANS DEFINING A PAIR OF OPPOSITE SIDES, TRANSVERSELY SPACED, AND TRANSVERSELY ALIGNED UPWARDLY OPENING CRADLE MEANS AT EACH END OF SAID BASE, SAID CRADLE MEANS EACH DEFINING A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED LOW OUTER AND HIGHER INNER UPSTANDING CONFRONTING CONFINING SURFACE MEANS SPACED LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID BASE, EACH OF SAID CRADLE MEANS ALSO INCLUDING AN UPWARDLY FACING SUPPORT SURFACE EXTENDING BETWEEN THE LOWER END PORTIONS OF EACH PAIR OF LOW AND HIGHER OPPOSING SURFACES, AND SPACED ABOVE SAID BASE, THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID HIGHER INNER SURFACE MEANS PROJECTING ABOVE THE UPPER ENDS OF THE CORRESPONDING OUTER SURFACE MEANS AND DEFINING ABUTMENT MEANS AGAINST WHICH A PLURALITY OF PIPE SECTIONS MAY BE LATERALLY HORIZONTALLY ADVANCED OVER THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID OUTER SURFACE MEANS TO STACK SAID PIPE SECTIONS BEFORE LOWERING THE STACK OF PIPE SECTIONS INTO THE CORRESPONDING CRADLE MEANS AND ONTO THE CORRESPONDING SUPPORT SURFACES, THE LONGITUDINAL EXTENT OF SAID BASE DISPOSED BETWEEN THE CRADLE MEANS ON EACH SIDE OF SAID BASE BEING SUFFICIENT TO RECEIVE THE LIFTING ARMS OF A FORK LIFT TRUCK 